ART FROM THE HEART is an art book, a collection of Gerald Francis O'Dowd works dating from 1980 to the present time. It provides an insight into Gerald’s extraordinary life, from a happy but confused childhood, through to the fame of his pop superstar brother Boy George, to a bout of paranoid psychosis in the early nineties resulting in him being sectioned and spending several years locked away in a mental secure unit.

Gerald used art therapy to rebuild his life, foster healing, boost his mental well-being, help him gain self-esteem and overcome destructive self-judgment. Art therapy is where his journey as an artist began.

This book allows the reader to experience the colourful, and sometimes tortured, life of a passionate artist. Artworks included in the book cover an array of emotions; yet, they express Gerald's warm and loving nature which exudes through his art. Whether he is using film, sculpture, painting, poetry or song, his expressive style will have you uplifted by the spectrum of colour and light as he conveys his beliefs in the power of love, providing a unique and fascinating journey into his mind and life.

The book aims to demonstrate how you can overcome the stigma and isolation that mental illness brings. Inspiring others to create art, or how viewing art can help to explore your emotions, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, and boost self-esteem.

ART FROM THE HEART is packed with evocative and revealing poetry, artworks and photography. This genuinely moving, incisive volume offers new insights into his raw emotions and open mindset.

ART FROM THE HEART is a professionally designed, well-produced and finely printed publication, containing over 145 pages of varied, visually arresting colour and surprise, depicting Gerald's artworks in fine detail. Also inside, you will find dedications to his mother Dinah O'Dowd and son Joseph O'Dowd, and personal family photos of his partner and siblings.

The book is available as a limited signed first edition of 100 books with each book signed and numbered by the artist.